Threatened/Endangered Information: the State of Arizona has listed Coach Whip (Fouquieria splendens) as Salvage restricted.

Genus Information: 1 species of Fouquieria in the southwest and the United States.

Comments: The Ocotillo is a thorny shrub or tree common in preferred habitats. It is a dominant or co-dominant species in certain Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert plant associations. The Ocotillo is a classic iconic plant often profiled in photographs of southwestern sunsets.

Fouquieria splendens has been used for food by southwestern United States indigenous peoples.
Hualapai Drug, Orthopedic Aid, Roots used in a soothing bath for swollen feet.
Hualapai Fiber, Building Material, Branches used to construct huts.
Cahuilla Fiber, Building Material, Wood used to make fences to prevent rodents from attacking cultivated crops.
Papago Other, Ceremonial Items, Flexible rods used as the basis of ceremonial structures representing clouds or mountains.
Pima Fiber, Building Material, Stalks freed from thorns, bound together with rawhide or wire and used as shelves.
Yavapai Food, Snack Food, Flowers sucked by children for nectar.
See ethno-botanical uses at Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn.